Mirror Handle

The surface of the straight component is less encrusted with corrosion products than the loop section, but the overall coloration of the patina is similar over the two sections: mostly green with some tan accretions over cupritic reddish brown that shows through in the few worn areas. Most of the pieces assembled under 1895.241 have at least a few small crystalline black growths of copper sulfide that result from post-excavation storage conditions. 1895.241.G is a handle cast in two pieces. The larger loop part with its simple faceted shape may have been cast in a piece mold. Its slight asymmetry may result from distortion necessary to fit it into the central horizontal rod. The straight component may also have been cast in a piece mold but would have been reworked in the metal to enhance the decorative features. One side of this element is flattened—no doubt in the area that would have served to mount the handle to an object. It is not clear whether the accretion on one part of this area is the remains of a solder-like material. There is no indication that this handle was originally combined with the other parts of 1895.241. Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2012)